❤ Jim Mason's Journey ❤

    I've been able to get dad somewhere he can be appreciated for who he is, and also to take Taco Hut off the market!!! I have increased the goal of this fundraiser, as all previous donations have gone to the lawyer representing my dad and his 'Little Crew That Could.' I will add more details and a couple new photos later today! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELD ONTO HOPE!!! This is my original post. Check back for updates!:

     Jim Mason is well known in our community not only because of the beloved Taco Hut, but also for his kindness and generosity. My dad, Jim, is now in a vulnerable place where he needs help. Funds raised will assist in him getting out of this situation.

     It was 1961, and Jim Mason, future owner of Taco Hut, was 21 years old. A counter-culture wasn't quite brewing yet, but the earthy aroma already lingered. 

     Jim wasn't interested in school. He excelled at building things, and took an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker after graduating high school. After work one day, he ran into a friend with a question that would one day lead to a spicier Jamestown. "I'm going to California, want to come?"     

     Partying, beach babes, living in a car without a job, following music where hip people met to expand their minds together....I expected the "generic hippie voyage," but I was wrong.

      Dad was clearly excited to tell me about the opportunity he took in California. From 1961-1969, Jim Mason worked as a senior tool and die maker at Rocketdyne, a company that made parts for rocket engines for NASA. American astronauts walked on the moon in 1969 for the first time, and my dad built part of the Saturn IV that got them there. Jim Mason is a humble man, and he doesn't just TELL this story. He gives away some of the luck, joy, and indescribeable pride he feels to the listener...maybe because it's too big for him? I think he just likes to share the unique way he gets to experience life rather than keeping it all to himself.

     Another huge event that has changed possibly thousands of lives happened to Jim Mason in California. He ate a Taco.
     Jim moved back home to Jamestown, NY, and thought that the locals' strict Italian or Swedish cuisine trained palates required tacos, so he built a little hut right downtown. His own recipes came together, and his adventure with Taco Hut began in 1972. I will save a majority of this chapter for a separate fund raiser, but I will say this. My dad put himself into every part of Taco Hut. He was able to create something beautiful that gave people pride to be part of. He loved all of his customers, and wouldn't hesitate to make faces at little kids and give them a t-shirt, join a large group celebrating a birthday, or have a beer while laughing uncontrollably with the guy he saw at the end of the bar who was alone and (he could see) needed a friend.

    
     My dad is now 80 years old and has been suffering from gradual cognitive decline for around 5 years. This has led to him being trapped at home without access to a phone or reality. No one who could tell him that this is wrong is able to talk to him. Therefore he doesn't get to experience calls coming from loving people who make him happy.
      Thoughts that are deeply painful, cause him guilt, or make him question if he is going crazy are being presented to him. This is causing him confusion, not knowing whom he can trust. He can't ever really comprehend what is happening in his thoughts, or where they are coming from, because they are coming from someone else.
     My dad is being fed an illusion. His cognitive decline is being used and/or denied in order to manipulate the system and take from him. His Power of Attorney had strict instruction for his care giver to never have access to his business. But in his current vulnerable state she has gotten control of his business accounts, and completely drained them in a matter of a few months. Jim Mason's business was successful for 48 years, and today she put a for sale sign on his legacy. This is not due to COVID. He has no idea what is happening, or what has been done to him and his business.
     There is so much sadness in my heart that the man I described above is in this situation right now. All donations will go directly to legal help to remedy this terrible situation, and help my dad be safe and happy again.

     Thank you for taking the time to read this and being inspired to donate! If more than the goal is raised, it will go directly to helping the Taco Hut stay in our community.
     Happy New Year!

     Stay safe, and again thanks! -Amber Mason